HiAndTight

When you consider that we'd have Arrieta in the rotation right now(3.98 FIP, 3.56 xFIP at age 26) and I can only imagine he'd be pitching a great deal better in the NLC than ALE, that alone would have been huge. But Jemile Weeks and Andrew Bailey if nothing else could have been great trade chips. But none of them hurt like Rodon. Throwing a guy like him into our system for just what..50K more? I KNOW you can't look at it like that, the draft is suchup a crap shoot, but dang...that one WILL sting. You'll never know if he could be putting up Bundy-esque numbers right now in Wisconsin and we could be talking about how HE'S our top prospect in the farm system and then in 10 years people could talk about how this X-time Cy Young winner was signed by us in the 16th round! Of course that's highly unlikely, but still...stings. I do love the SS McFarland however. I have high hopes from him. Who's to say if he went to FSU(that was where he was headed, correct?) he could have the same glowing compliments thrown upon him. Still, I'm happy with our draft from last year. Two pitchers who should be good middle of the rotation type workhorses for us with the potential to develop a third pitch and take it from average to plus....maybe they get their velocity back up to what it was and end up being #1/2 types? Plus, we still have Jorge Lopez who could end up being a stud for us as well. Hard not to get greedy though and picture Weeks, Arrieta, Bailey and Rodon with us right now. Still, I'm

Yeah, I've kinda written him off, but he's putting up decent lines. I thought he was only throwing like 85-87 and topping out at like 89 when he was having that success despite throwing in the lower 90's and even touching 93-94 in HS(Col IIRC). I remember the exact same interview you're talking about, and got the impression that he blamed his HS coach for abusing his arm a little bit and causing some of that velocity to drop. With his ability to get ground balls, I'd be really interested to see if he's now throwing around 90. On that note, does anyone now where Periard is right now? He was a guy who had a heavy FB resulting in a lot of fastballs, but could throw in the low to mid 90's at times and was one of my favorite pitchers. Just curious if he's still part of the org after missing last year and is in instructional or if they cut ties with him and he's pitching in ind. ball at the moment?

Is this meant to be in blue? I'm guessing Hoyer and Theo are willing to deal with teams that they haven't previously worked for. Not trying to be a jerk here....just curious if you were being serious or not?

Well, I'd CONSIDER it for even Bradley and Jungman IF you could turn around and get Greinke to sign an extension by saying, "see, we're improving our team substantially at SS and picking up a #3 caliber hitter." If Greinke's worried about our ability to compete, this would certainly go a long way to solving that problem. Next years lineup could be impressive. Assume Weeks bounces back. Aoki Castro Braun Aram Hart Lucroy Weeks Gamel With Greinke Gallardo Fiers/Thornburg/Peralta(the only reason people aren't sold on him is because of a couple starts)/Narveson/Estrada That'd be a potentially very good offense. Of course I doubt the Cubs make that trade, and I'd want to make sure before we traded for him we could get him to sign a 8 year 80 million dollar deal or something in that range. He could play SS until Aram's gone, move over and who knows, by then Arcia may be in HiA/AA tearing it up and we might just need a short term fix. You could also trade Hart and play smaller with Aoki in RF and Gamel at 1B saving money and getting a nice prospect back in return. But this is never going to happen. Cubs wouldn't trade a young player like that in the division only to haunt them for the next decade and they'd need ELITE prospects, not guys like Bradley/Jungman, etc..etc..who are in the 60-70 range at best in most rankings. And we'd be selling our top prospect low in Peralta as he's had three terrible starts, two back to back that have made his stock drop a great deal. It'd be one thing if we still had a guy like Brett Lawrie playing in our minor league system as he'd likely be the #1 overall prospect right now(though of course we'd never have signed Aram). That's what it'd take to pry him loose though.

No, you're not. MAYBE if we got hot and where at .500 and only 2.5 games out, or whatever I'd be more willing to take a chance on a guy like Youk. He could hit 2nd(always a good OBP guy) or even leadoff and we all know he can play 1st pretty dang well. But I don't think taking on more money this year at this point, or giving up ANYONE who has a chance to be a part of our future(Gindl or even Rogers) makes sense. Not that I'm real high on either, but Gindl HAS always out performed his ceiling and Rogers always could still end up as a pretty good SU man. Again, if we were in it right now and if we didn't already have a number of very good OF'ers that makes moving Hart to 1st a lot easier, I'd be well on board as you're buying a VERY good player cheap and banking on the fact that he'll come around. But we need a lot more than a 5 out of 6 streak to get me too excited about adding this year. Still 5 games under .500.

Absolutely. I've read scouting reports that he projects to be a .275/.280 hitter(though that's in question with the competition he's faced and it's hard to judge) and could be much higher, but has big time power, is 19 and already 6'3 200 pounds with a very strong arm and is a prototypical RF'er. We're lacking bats. But rumor is the Cubs have a deal in place with him for around 25 million over 5 years. The problem is, unless I'm mistaken, you'd be counting on a 19 year old kid to be major league ready. And we couldn't have control of him like we would a draft pick. So you'd likely be paying 5 million a year for a guy who may not be ready just yet and by the time he is truly developed, those 5 years would be just about up. I don't know how solid the 5/25 is however, but 7/25 or so I would say go for it... And that's just because we desperately need impact bats. Still, a lot of money to add without the ability to develop him..if he needs it, in the minors. Unless I am mistaken about that, and we could keep him down there for a couple years without those years counting against the years in the contract. If that makes sense. Of course on the other hand, spreading that 25 million(or whatever it is) out to 10-15 16 year old Latin American prospects would probably go a lot further....

Yeah, but he'll almost certainly never sign a one year deal. He MAY take arbitration...which I doubt, but would be worth it. I doubt he goes another 2-3 seasons fully healthy, so he could be a really hard contract to swallow. And that would only make the Lawrie trade look worse.

No, because as you said, I think it'd be a "panic," signing and they'd overpay for him. Plus, I don't trust him to continue to perform well for another 4 years(I think that he'll easliy get a 4 year deal). I WOULD offer arbitration as I think he'll look at 13.5 for one year and prefer a lower yearly salary, but that last(and his only) chance at a big FA payout to be too much to pass up. The Brewers however I fear will re-sign him and then probably go after another 2nd tier FA like a Ryan Dempster. Which wouldn't be terrible in the short term, but would probably look pretty bad in 2-3 years. By then at least we can hope for our young arms to be mainstays and contributing. But again, if Greinke's gone, I'd rather just be realistic, gather all the picks we can(2 1st and 2 1st supps for those two, plus our own) and dump anyone who's not a part of the long term picture. Slash payroll and build up a reserve like the Packers have and when we're good again, use that money for the guys that are young and deserving.

I hope it develops necrotizing fasciitis as I think this term is thrown out there so quickly and so ridiculously. But anyway, for another time... Fiers looks like an artist out there. ONE game, but it was easy to see why this guy with such ordinary velocity has dominated and continually forced his way into rotations at every level despite great stuff and just put up eye popping numbers you would excpet from a blue chip prospect who throws in the upper 90's with some nasty off-speed stuff. I don't know what his future is, but for this year, I'm extremely optimistic about him. Especially the first time around the league. A Cal Eldred 1992 type performance where he carried us in a very close race vs Toronto(11-2 1.92 ERA IIRC and I'm guessing as historic as that run was, most fans do) probably isn't in the cards, but I could see him going 9-3 the rest of the way with a 3.40 or so ERA and giving us a similar boost. And then like Eldred settle into his role as nice #4/5 type pitcher. Of course it's all premature after just one start, but he gave us a glimpse of what could be.... In reality, I think his outing really energized this team and gave propelled them on to the sweep vs the Dodgers who only had 5 home losses comng into this series.

Hey, I'm 100 pct with you. I posted on another thread that he looks like a different player this year and that with all of his amazing tools, virtually unrivaled speed, bat speed which is exceptional, defense, very strong throwing arm as well as the potential for power in a 6'4 220 pound frame. Of course this was earlier in the year and I heard all about how it's a small sample size, etc..etc.. Which is valid. And he was only hitting ~.255 at the time. But I think his change is like Estrada's. I'm not talking about his numbers(though they're at .289/.329/.483 with a .812 OPS). I'm talking about a fundamental change in the way he's playing. Laying off the off-speed pitches he can't do anything with early in the count, getting ahead so he sees more fastballs and punishing them. Basically the opposite of what he's been his big league career. Of course that was met with a lesson on sample sizes which I'm fully aware of. I just think it's possible that Gomez MIGHT actually be realizing his potential and maturing a little bit. And it doesn't take much. He doesn't have to be a .300/.385/.500 type player to be extremely valuable. If he puts up a .285/.325 line(which was the exact line I threw out at the time) I think with that you'll see more power and he COULD carry an .800 OPS. If he does that, with his value defensively in CF, that's a 4-5 WAR player at his peak. All I'm saying is that at this point, he's 26 years old and it's not unheard of for guys to transform their careers, especially at that age. I still believe it's an extremly long shot, and he most likely goes back to the hacker he's been and his OBP drops back below .300. But damn....I still think it's worth more than just a shot. That his potential is still so extraordinary that he can provide a whole lot of value. And at 26...lets ride it out and see one last time if we can't turn him into a GG CF'er who puts up a modest, but still above average line in CF. Sorry for the long post, but I haven't heard a whole lot of other people show any sort of belief in Carlos, so it's refreshing that not everyone has closed the book on him and deemed him merely a defensive CF'er who should and can only play as part of a platoon. And I'll admit, last year I'd have been the last guy even suggesting this. But hey...keep it up Carlos...he's well on pace for a 2-3 WAR season as a part time player. With Nyjer struggling and him hitting righties better, lets ride him for a while and see where it takes us.

I will find you and I will fight you if you just jinxed us. Hehehe....I'll run like a Democratic senator to the land of Lincoln and you'll never find me! (By the way, I am a Dem, so not taking a shot at them....well...maybe just a little.)

McGehee had a .593 and .422 OPS in May and June last year, and that's at 3rd base, NOT 2nd, ie, a power position vs one in which you don't expect nearly as much power. His end of the year OPS ended up at .626 Weeks is currently at .588. That's not really that "dramatic," to me, and we stuck with McGehee longer when we actually had options(Gamel and Green tearing it up in AAA) longer than you're proposing we stick with Weeks. I'm not sure "Ron," is the one who needs a hint, nor what a vacation would do unless you believe he's hurt. And even then, who do you propose? Eric Farris? I doubt he posts an OPS of .600 or better. Gennett isn't ready yet... There is one option IMO and it's leave Weeks out there because the only chance we have to get to the post-season is if Weeks starts to perform like he has his entire career, namely the last 5 years where his cumulative OPS has been .805....an impressive line for a 2nd basemen.

He's still striking out all the time. Plus, he still isn't swinging at the first pitch fastball right down the middle. Rickie has never swung at the first pitch very often. Perhaps he's getting more to hit earlier in the count this season but I don't see why that would be the case. I would expect the opposite, actually. Yeah, he has taken pitches and a lot of fastballs early in the count, especially 1st pitch fastballs in the past, but he is doing it MORE this year and in the past he was more concerned with getting on base as a leadoff hitter. Not to mention, there were a lot of times he saw a first pitch fastball and hammered it. I would guess that's where probably a quarter to a third of his HR's have come from in the past 3 years. But that's not even the point. What he did in the past is obviously relevant, but he's struggling so badly right now he needs to change something up. And in my opinion, that's be a great place to start.

I'm in complete agreement with you on the 1st pitch thing. I think his mentality might be a little bit too much like that of a leadoff hitter. He's getting almost get me over fastballs almost every 1st pitch. He needs to just let it rip. But sitting him down isn't going to do that and in that scenario, he'd likely be used as a PH'er anyway, which IMO would only exacerbate the situation. He's an all star and we all know he's talented, but he's simply in a huge funk. He watching fastballs on the inner half that he often put in the seats the last couple years and flailing at that slider off the corner again and again. Get him attacking early in the count and get a couple multi hit games and hopefully he can go on a team. With the way the team is playing right now, Weeks getting going could be monumentally huge for us.

I'd have liked to have seen Loe backout there for the 9th. He had a relatively easy 8th and was throwing the ball pretty well. If you get into any trouble, have K-rod ready, but I still would have felt better with Loe to at least start the 9th. He also could have bunted Massoynet over there.

It's amazing how this series has turned out for us. Going into LA playing like we were, with Kershaw and Bills coming up and then the big question mark with Estrada injured I think most would have been thrilled with 2-2. But we've been getting key defensive plays, done a great job manufacturing runs and just doing all the little things right to put us on the verge of sweeping the team with the best record in the game.

I get what you mean, but I disagree that service time shouldn't be an issue at all. It's always an issue, but it's relatively easy to stay on top of & manage. I agree. Of COURSE it's an issue for a team like the Brewers pinching pennies which is not to suggest they're cheap, simply saying that they're a team that has to spend very wisely and while they're in great financial shape right now, that's attendance driven which can change all too quick with a couple of down years which is certainly possible. But saving a guy from being a super two, or holding him out so that we've got him for an extra year can end up saving you...10 million+ dollars easily if he's a stud pitcher. Just for an example, if he was to become a super 2, you could be paying him 3 million when you should be paying 500K, 5.5 when it should be 3, 8 when it should be 5.5 and 11 when it should be 8. Add that up and it COULD be over 10 million. Not to mention it's not as simple as saying, "if he looks good 3-4 years from now, just lock him up." Not saying he's Lincecum or will be anything close to him, but no only did he get 9 million his 3rd year as a super two, but it's not always so easy to just "lock 'em up." So...it shouldn't be your only consideration, but it's be foolish to NOT consider it. And when you have two options that seem to be equally good, ie, a AAA pitcher who has underwhelming stuff while overwhelming everyone at every level and another who is in AA and has overwhelming stuff, but hasn't reached the top of the ladder...it should definitely be considered.

I'm interested in hearing where Arnett's velocity is at right now? Another sharp outing for him throwing 1.2 IP with 5/0 GO/FO and 1 K and just the one hit. His felocity was 87-88 when he was struggling I thought and from what I heard the Brewers were really pushing hard to get him to throw his change. But if his velocity is up to 94-95 and his slider is working, we could still salvage a very nice 7th inning guy out of him. That's nothing to scoff at. The more fringe pieces you can develop the more money you have to spend on your marquee guys...not that I'm telling anyone anything they don't know. The same could go for Scarpetta and Heckathorn. Three guys who, if Arnett has seen his velo come back a bit, are guys with two pitches that can be dominant and two guys in Arnett and Heckathorn who are ground ball machines. I know it's not what we'd hoped for Arnett when we drafted him after he was projected to go around 15 and fell to us, but at this point just getting something out of him and Scarpetta is a big plus. And I may be alone in this, but I don't see why Scarpetta can't develop into a SU man or even a closer. He throws 95 as a starter, you'd expect that to jump up a tick as a starter to maybe 96-97 and he has that hammer. If he can hone in that command he's certainly more than capable of becoming that shutdown closer. And Heckathorn strikes me as a Todd Coffey type guy... Thing is obviously we've got time for the other two, but Scarpetta really has to get it figured out pretty quickly. His arm is WAY too good to not be more dominant.

Oh, that is it. I know that fluky injury stories have in the past been floated to cover up embarrassing accidents, but there is zero justification for that kind of backlash, no matter what happened. I'd better not cross paths with any of those "fans" ever. I don't personally care if he got mad arguing with his wife,because as everyone knows, just because he SEEMS like a really good guy...and probably is, that it's rare in a marriage you get into an argument and might punch a wall walking away in anger over something petty. The how isn't important(and I think it's more likely he punched a wall at the stadium because he's seemed frustrated a couple of times after poor AB's as of late and had nothing to do with his wife...though they've been rare). So it's really pathetic how people want to try and basically terrorize someone because a player on their favorite team got hurt. Man, I LOVE the Brewers as do most of us, but sending hate male to a players wife? You don't love the Brewers then, and you're not much of a fan of Lucroy. HOWEVER some stupid, freak, and I'll bet my house doesn't happen again, accident happened.

Who do you think designed the virus to shut down the Iranian nuclear weapons system in between innings?

Absolutely agree. I also find it amazing that everything we've been through we're still just 4.5 games out right now. We're not as talented as the Angels obviously, but if Fiers can pull an Eldred for half a season....hey...we're still in it. Might not be best long term, but if you're convinced Melvin and Mark A won't sell unless it's obvious we're out of it, then we might as well get on board..

No...it really doesn't. It's clearly faulty science when it comes to applying it to actual games and to state as a matter of fact that you can determine that Braun would be worth this many more wins via WAR is bad science and bad math IMO. I try to stay away from matter of fact statements, though I do state things in opinion as though they're fact. But I'm saying it's a fact that you can't take WAR and directly relate it to a teams wins and losses.

THANK YOU! I hear so many peopl use it to say, "well, we're only 2 wins worse this year," or if we trade for this all-star pitcher, he's worth at most one win the rest of the way." There is absolutely no way to determine that. I doubt Sabathia's I actually agree that Gamel+Aram+Agon was better than Prince or Yuni and McGehee. I hardly think you were foolhardly in thinking that. Prince hasn't been a superstar, though pretty good. Aram usually starts slow, Agon was a HUGE upgrade. I think we upgraded our team and below expected performance and injury has totally negated that. Of course it's possible we just got a little later start on our hot streak this year...which is fine, because at this point, I'd welcome a 1 game playoff with Greinke taking the mound vs anyone. This might sound stupid, and I think it was more applicable during ST'ing, but this team might be a better playoff team(assuming it gets healthy). It just seems like we have more guys who can give you good at bats, rely less on HR's(though can still clearly hit them) and while I'm not big on manufacturing runs and even less when it comes down to 1st or 2nd inning runs, if you're facing Halladay, Kershaw, name your NL ace, I think we're pretty set up to do that in a close game. Hell, maybe I'm just trying to convince myself.

Incredible. Maybe he'll give us the boost we need to start putting together some good series and a nice LITTLE run. Start out with 4 of 5, 3 of 4, make it just a little closer and see what happens.

Weeks has one sacrifice bunt in the past four seasons. Not convinced a bunt would have worked out much differently. Johnny Narron's been pushing Weeks to swing at get-me-over fastballs. Did there, missed it. My worry is that they're trying to change Weeks' approach just to get him out of the slump, and stuff like that isn't going to help. Rickie of old wouldn't swing 3-0. Rickie is my favorite Brewer with Greinke being a very close second, but .150 hitters shouldn't be swinging on 3-0. Not in a 2-1 game, not with a runner on 1st and 0 outs. I know the pct's say sac bunts are less likely to score runs there, but the pct's don't take into account a bad average for a pitcher. We all know, or should be confident that Rickie's career didn't go the way of Bill Hall's, but there is NO harm in him taking a walk to put men on 1st and 2nd there or at least taking a pitch to get to 3-1.